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An outbreak of kindness all over the UK.

Through restoring community, renewing civic life and claiming our place in the world, we build a society in which our extraordinary nature – our altruism, empathy and deep connection – is released. A kinder world stimulates and normalises our kinder values. –George Monbiot

We mobilise local communities across the UK to put on scrumptious and magical Christmas Day dinners for care leavers turning Christmas into a time to cherish. It takes one person ( How to Guide) to start a Christmas Dinner.
That one person attracts another and a chain reaction begins until there is a steering group of local talented and kind people like this steering group in Leeds.
And this one in Canterbury. There are many other Christmas Dinner Steering Groups throughout the country. You’ll get a glimpse of them in this blog.
This lot are in Manchester.

Via the How To Guide the groups radiate into their communities and seek out a venue, presents, a chef , food, transport, guests and volunteers. The kind responses from individuals, public institutions and privatre business is the fuel that drives us on. The pic below, ladies and gentlemen, is Louise Wallwein
She is fierce of focus and kind of heart. She is a writer of national significance and was in care like me. She is our fundraiser. She has smashed the target with crowdfunder and announced “an outbreak of kindess and solidarity with care leavers at Christmas is breaking out all over the UK” . So let’s look at some of the twelve Christmas Dinners that use the How To Guide. Here’s a glimpse of OXFORD
AndSHEFFIELD
And MANCHESTER again

The Christmas Dinners have been running for five years. This year we launched The Lemn Sissay Foundation. There’s no website yet but there will be. It is a registered charity to raise funds for The Christmas Dinners.

But it is the people on the steering groups: From a Barrister, to a Lord Mayor, from a Theatre Designer to a headteacher: From a TV camerawoman to the head of Children Services, from a head teacher to a pediatrician, from a Yoga teacher to a swimming instructor the volunteers for the Christmas Dinner are incredible.This is the Britain we belong to. This is the kind of society I want to live in.
Our processes are transparent, our organisation is rigorous, our attitude is kindness and the result is… well it is this…..

Here are representatives from all the christmas dinners of 2016 who came together this year (thanks to METAL) and created the brand new HOW TO GUIDE which has allowed so many Christmas Dinners to light up the country. It is just the beginning.

I am opposed to the institutionalised drama of reasoned inaction.

Through restoring community, renewing civic life and claiming our place in the world, we build a society in which our extraordinary nature – our altruism, empathy and deep connection – is released. A kinder world stimulates and normalises our kinder values. – George Monbiot

Wirral’s guests will each get a Christmas card from me as their LSCB Chair. Others are doing the same and like me giving gifts. I can’t be there but the giving matters. In a L.A. last week I met their in-house group doing their own Xmas dinner. Every team across that council that would otherwise have had a “secret santa” scheme has instead put what would have been spent and more into the gift fund. People are giving up lunchtimes to wrap and label gifts. And hand making santa sacks to put them in. Deck the halls. My kind of place.

And throughout the country there are more inspiring stories like these. It’s a beautiful thing Maggie. And the story is important. For example The Wirral Christmas dinner started because of The Liverpool Christmas Dinner. The same chef is there etc. Had it not been for The Tope Project I would not have made it my mission to make this happen. X